A Report on Global Health Issue Obesity in America - Research Paper Example

The reasons why obesity occurs could be manifold, without any one specific reason. The concept of obesity encompasses various factors such as the integration of behavioral, physiological, social, cultural, genetic and metabolic elements. Thus, in today’s healthcare industry, the medical professionals play vital role in managing obesity to a greater extent. Obesity can be measured with respect to the BMI known as the Body Mass Index of an individual. Though the topic “obesity “has been much focused by the Physicians and various facts about it have been reviewed, obesity still remains as a menace which negatively impacts the health of most of the individuals who are addicted to the so called “junk food”. In this report, obesity is discussed as a Global health issue with specific focus on the United States of America. This report will discuss why it is considered a global health issue, pointing out the causes of this health issue, including the factor of wealth and will finally address the current strategies used in addressing the issue, including vertical or horizontal approaches. A Report on Global Health Issue – Obesity in America “Obesity is a complex multifactorial disease that develops from the interaction between genotype and the environment” (Liburd, 2009). The alarming fact is that, the prevalence of obesity is rapidly increasing in most of the developed and developing countries worldwide. Changes in the lifestyle of the individuals can also be accounted as one of the major reason for the issue. Considering the growing rate of this health condition and how it makes lethal effects causing various health disorders and even death, it becomes essential to educate the people about obesity. Thus after identification stage, effective and extensive research into the complex physiology could aid in overcoming the impact. “More than one-third of U.S adults (35.7 percent) are obese. Approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2- 19 years are obese” (“U.S. Obesity Trends”, n. d). It has been statically proved that during the past 20 years there has been a steep increase in obesity in the USA and the rates keep on increasing day by day. In the year 2010, “it has been estimated 36 states had the prevalence of obesity of about 25 percent and more.” (Shah, 2010). This prevalence of obesity among children is widespread, although certain racial groups exhibit high obesity rates. “For example the Hispanic boys aged 2-19 years were obese when compared to the non-Hispanic white boys.” (“U.S. Obesity Trends”, n. d). Multiple studies have shown that obese children are likely to become obese adults. So, a similar trend can be seen among the adolescents as well, with the obesity rates rising from 5 percent in 1976-1980 to 15.5 percent in late 1990s and 2000s (Loureiro, 2004). One of the reasons behind the occurrence of obesity among the children and adults in America, and even around the world, would be the static way of life, with physical activities being reduced to bare minimum and with high calorie food consumption increased to high levels. Thus, the food habits play a major role in the prevalence of obesity which is emerging as a major threat to the country. • “Americans eat 31 percent more of packaged food than the fresh food items. • Less then 27 percent of Americans consume the exact ratio of meat and vegetables. • Americans consume six to nine pounds of chemical additives each year” (Shah, 2010) Recent studies revel the fact that the fundamental reason for the America’s obesity is the basic crops like the corn and Soya beans with which they produce the unhealthy, high energy and processed food. Thus, obesity is mainly caused with the consumption of processed food which contains chemicals in the form of preservatives which ultimately lead to the increase of fat level. From the above facts, it is obvious that most Americans consume much of the processed food with unwanted fat resulting in obesity. Thus, according to the Pan American Health Organizations (PAHO) obesity is a disease which affects the poor and the middle class people mainly due to the “marketing of the unhealthy food” (Shah, 2010). To describe the effects of obesity in America in terms of economics, “the annual cost of managing obesity in the United states alone amounts to approximately $100 billion, of which approximately $52 billion are direct costs of healthcare” (Hamdy, 2012). This figure shows how obesity is leading to various health complications, thereby necessitating increased healthcare costs. The following are some of the facts about the food consumption in the U.S Why Obesity is a Global Health Issue World Health Organization has classified obesity based on the Body mass Index of an individual namely the following 1) “Grade 1 Over weight (called as Over weight) - BMI -25-30 KG 2) Grade 2 Over weight (commonly called as Obesity) –BMI- 30-40 KG 3) Grade 3 overweight (called as severe or morbid obesity) – BMI which elevates more than 40 Kg or more” (Hamdy, 2012) Thus, the range of obesity can be categorized based on their body mass index. Obesity can be viewed as one of the global health issue since it is widespread across almost all the countries in the world. “In our modern world with the increasingly cheap, high calorie food…combined with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, increasing urbanization and changing modes of transportation, it is no wonder that obesity has rapidly increased in the last few decades”(Shah, 2010). The World Watch institute has pointed out a disturbing fact about how obesity has increased in the recent decades, and “it states that for the very first time in the human history the number of overweight people rivals the number of underweight people” (Shah, 2010). As discussed earlier, the over weight population is increasing rapidly throughout the world basically due to the changes in the lifestyle and lack of physical activities. Obesity and, in particular, childhood obesity is a major global concern and it is steadily affecting the developing countries as well, apart from the developed countries, in particular the population in the urban centers. In the global perspective, “in the year 2010 the number of the over weight children under the age of five, is estimated to be around 42 million which is an alarming factor” (“U.S. Obesity Trends”, n. d.). People tend to have a sedentary way of life as they mainly concentrate on making money and increasing their status of living rather than spending their time in working out their body and indulging in other physical activities. Above all, the advancements in technology and computers, along with the arrival of the computer games, have made most of the children to get addicted to it. They spend most of their time with the computers, where they completely lack the physical activities. They avoid playing outdoor games and, as a result, they gain weight at an early stage of their life. Thus, over weight and obese children are likely to stay obese even in their adulthood and they are much prone to many non-communicable or lifestyle related diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, at an earlier stage of their life. Many of the developing and poor countries are now facing a kind of double burden. On the one hand, there are children, mainly in the rural areas, who do not receive adequate food and the necessary nutrients. However, on the other hand, as mentioned above, children particularly in the urban areas, due to their sedentary life style and food habits become obese. In both cases, the children become susceptible to diseases, while undernourished children get diseases due to lack of food and nutrients, the obese children get diseases due to over-consumption of food. So, when obesity is viewed as a global issue, this ironical situation is clearly visible in developing and poor countries. Wealth related issues caused by obesity “Obesity and overweight problems have serious social and economic consequences” (Loureiro, 2004). Recent studies have revealed that obesity has direct negative effects on not only the income as well as the savings of the people, but also their productivity. That is, being obese could impede an individual to carry on his/her professional work effectively and that will reduce his/her productivity, which in a way could negatively impact their professional growth. Moreover, if an individual because of obesity suffers from various diseases, he/she has to take leave from work and that will also affect his/her productivity and contribution to the organization. When these two scenarios happen, it will result in reduced salary or income for the obese person. Analyzing about income, an individual’s income gets affected when she/he is not able to perform their official duties and earn money, due to frequent illnesses caused with obesity. That is, when they take leave from work, it will reduce their monthly salaries. Then, when they get admitted to hospitals to treat the diseases that arise because of obesity, they have to spend their salaries or savings there for proper treatment. Thus, the consequence of obesity carries both direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include the process of diagnosis and the money spent for the treatment. The indirect costs encompass the loss of productivity caused by the health-related problems such as the diabetes, cardiovascular problems, certain cancers and strokes. “Often over shadowed by the health and social consequences of obesity is the economic cost to the society and to the individual” (Macdiarmid and Rigby, 2002). One of the common end products of obesity would be mental problems such as depression and exhaustion, which could also affect an individual’s ability to generate income. The key wealth related issue is how obesity can lead to increased health care costs, which will be a burden not only for the individual, but the country as a whole. As the country’s health care policies or medical insurances will be stretched to the limits, obesity could have negative effect on the countries’ finances as well. Thus, there is proven analysis which shows that obesity results in heightened healthcare costs and other socio – economic problems. “The data shows that the increased incidence of obesity is associated with increase observed health expenditures and decreased life expectancy” (Loureiro, 2004). From the above analysis, it is obvious that obesity has an impact on the economic and the wealth conditions of an individual, thereby affecting the economic status of a country as a whole. Health related issues caused by obesity “Men are at increased relative risk for disease if they have a waist circumference greater then 40 inches (102 cm); women are at an increased relative risk if they have a waist circumference greater than 35 inches (88 cm)” (“Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Over weight and Obesity in adults”). These facts show how obesity and resultant overweight could make the human body susceptible to many diseases. Diseases which are commonly caused by obesity including various cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc. “Cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke) - already the world’s number one cause of death, killing 17 million people each year” (Shah, 2010). The main reason behind heart attacks and strokes is the accumulation of unwanted fats in the blood vessels which supplies blood to the heart. This accumulation of fat throughout the body and, in particular, the blood vessels in the heart happens mainly due to obesity. Diabetes type 2, which is being considered to be a global epidemic, is mainly caused due to the improper functioning of the pancreas. Due to excess fat, insulin secretion is disturbed ultimately resulting in diabetes. Some of the cancers which occur in the areas like breast, colon, etc., are due to the mutations, which are trigged by the excess exposure to junk foods and unhealthy diet. Obesity also has a direct impact on the social life of an individual, as it ‘seeds’ less self-esteem. Thus, it can be seen that the overweight people are generally moody and they lack concentration in their daily activities. With the above facts, it is obvious that obesity has a negative effect on the health and the wealth conditions of an individual. Vertical and the Horizontal Approach Generally, the vertical approach focuses on the process of fighting a disease at a given period of time, through closely related factors or by acting against the main causing agents. On the other hand, horizontal approach as defined by the World Health Organization, mainly concentrates on “all the activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore or maintain health” (“The Practical Guide”, 2000). Thus, when both these approaches are viewed from the perspective of obesity, it provides a different picture. When the vertical approach to solving or managing this obesity issue is focused, it mainly concentrates on solving personal issues of the affected individual like to avoid eating high calorie foods, sedentary way of living, etc. In addition, the following are some of the ways through which people can control and keep them away from obesity and that constitutes horizontal approaches. 1) Regular physical activity which may include physical exercises and other health related activities 2) Control over the diet avoiding the high- energy and high –calorie food ingredients 3) Change in the life style and proper management of the health conditions The horizontal approach, on the other hand, focuses mainly on bringing about social changes in the lifestyle and food habits of the people. That is, as obesity is being mainly caused by personal choices, which are influenced by external social factors, the horizontal approach is also being carried out to manage this issue. In that direction, various social groups and bodies through various avenues have been raising awareness about the ill-effects of obesity and how it should be managed correctly. These groups are also putting pressure on other stakeholders, particularly Fast Food chains and processed food manufactures to come up with healthier food choices. Another innovative idea that is being pushed forward to bring down the childhood obesity is to “ban the TV campaigns which promote food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar aimed at young children” (“Call for TV food ads ban”, 2003). Managing of obesity, particularly the childhood obesity, assumes importance because it could effectively save the future generation from the dreadful diseases. Some of the basic steps include following a healthy diets and including some physical activities in daily routine which could help in a great way to eradicate obesity (“Obesity Management”, n. d). All the above mentioned approaches can be followed by the people who are obese and can be implemented all throughout the world, so that they effectively control the drastic effects of obesity. Governments and researchers for their part are trying to “implement policy and environmental strategies to make healthy eating and active living accessible and affordable for the countries worldwide” (“Overweight and Obesity”, n. d). Obesity is one of the major areas where most of the countries, particularly America, are working upon to come out with effective solutions. As obesity leads to major health problems, it has be to be controlled at the earliest. From the above analysis, it is clear that obesity can be considered as a global health issue and it is the responsibility of the individuals to monitor their food intake and physical activities to prevent obesity, and also the responsibility of the nations as well as society to come up with options that can have an effective check on this dangerous health hazard. References “Call for TV food ads ban” (2003). BBC. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3238255.stm Hamdy, O. (2012). Obesity, Medscape Reference Drugs, Diseases and Procedure. Retrieved from: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/123702- overview Liburd, L. C. (2009). Diabetes and Health Disparities: Community-Based Approaches for Racial and Ethnic Populations. Springer Publishing Company Loureiro, M. L. (2004). Obesity: Economic Dimensions of “super size” Problem. Retrieved from: http://www.choicesmagazine.org/2004-3/obesity/2004-3- 02.htm Macdiarmid, J and Rigby, N. (2002). The Global Challenge of Obesity and the International Obesity Task Force. Retrieved from: http://www.iuns.org/features/obesity/obesity.htm . Obesity Management. (n. d). MillionMiles Media Ltd. Retrieved from: http://www. amillionlives.net/obesity-management-strategies-to-control-overweight-and- motivate-the-obese.html. Overweight and Obesity. (n. d). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/ Shah, A. (2010). Obesity, Global Issues Social, Political, Economic and Environmental issues that affects us all. Retrieved from: http://www.globalissues.org/article/558/obesity "The Practical Guide" (2000). NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative. Retrieved from: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf “U.S. Obesity Trends.” (n. d). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.HTML Read More